v2.9.22

2.9.21

Dec 28, 2017

• Performance improvements• iCloud syncing improvements

2.9.20

Nov 9, 2017

• Fixes another issue that could prevent initialization of iCloud options under certain conditions• No longer ignoring future dated episodes, as long as they have a valid enclosure.• Performance improvement during playback

2.9.19

Nov 4, 2017

• Fixes another edge case where iCloud syncing options may not be enabled when starting Downcast.• Improved search performance

2.9.17

2.9.16

• Apple Script support for basic playback control and now playing information• Ignore's enclosure URLs that are youtube links

2.9.15

Apr 13, 2016

• Fixes crash related to global hotkeys

2.9.14

Apr 11, 2016

• Tweaks the way chapter titles & associated links are presented• Fixes a few crashes• Fixes issue that could cause downloaded episodes to be marked as streams• Fixes issue leading to podcast artwork not downloading

2.9.10

Feb 9, 2016

• Fixes crash when importing OPML.• Fixes deadlock when starting following a crash.• Fixes several other crashes

2.9.9

Jan 29, 2016

Enhancement• Performance improvements• New icon

Bug Fixes• Fixes iCloud Syncing issue that could lead to local episodes being deleted• Fixes several crash scenarios• Fixes issue leading to episodes sometimes being marked as played when starting playback• Fixes issue where adjusting the play position scrubber would restart playback if paused• Fixes issue where media url on episode info view was displayed as a local file url• Fixes issue with episode description alignment• Fixes reordering of manually sorted playlists • Fixes issue preventing new episodes from being added to manually sorted playlists• Fixes issue preventing menu items from working for manually sorted playlists• Fixes issue with starting playback from a manually sorted playlist• Fixes issue causing html encoded characters not to be decoded in episode titles• Fixes issue with refreshing authenticated feeds

2.9.8

Jan 9, 2016

Enhancements• Now easier to switch between local & non-local episodes• Improved performance and selection behavior for all lists

Bug Fixes• Fixes several major performance issues and crashes• Fixes deadlocks when searching disks for previously associated resources• Fixes a couple of issues related to iCloud syncing and unintended resetting of episodes

• Fixes issue with not being able to export episodes from a playlist• Fixes a couple of dark mode bugs

Ratings and Reviews

HobbesH
,12/30/2014

Seems to be working again, but only after tossing it out completely.

As the title suggests, this version does seem to open on my rMBP running the latest version of Yosemite. However, on initial install it did not. I had to wipe all of my plist files and do a complete uninstall (in this case with the help of AppDelete) to find all of the files. This would have been incredibly annoying had Downcast for Mac been my primary podcasting app. Thankfully, the iPad version of this app works so well that it is my primary podcasting app and this is only my “backup” for when I want to listen to something while working.

The complete uninstall meant having to reset my preferences (thank you, iCloud sync), and to start downloading episodes again. In some cases this isn’t possible for podcasts that only release material for a week (This American Life), but again, this app for Mac has been so dodgy in the past that I don’t use it as my primary reservoir for podcasts.

I’ve given the app 3 stars because I want to like it. I love it on my iPad and it kills me that the Mac version is so buggy and horrible. Thankfully, iCloud sync makes it possible for me to get back up and running relatively quickly. It remains to be seen if this App is really ready for general release, but I have my fingers crossed.

HobbesH
,12/30/2014

Seems to be working again, but only after tossing it out completely.

As the title suggests, this version does seem to open on my rMBP running the latest version of Yosemite. However, on initial install it did not. I had to wipe all of my plist files and do a complete uninstall (in this case with the help of AppDelete) to find all of the files. This would have been incredibly annoying had Downcast for Mac been my primary podcasting app. Thankfully, the iPad version of this app works so well that it is my primary podcasting app and this is only my “backup” for when I want to listen to something while working.

The complete uninstall meant having to reset my preferences (thank you, iCloud sync), and to start downloading episodes again. In some cases this isn’t possible for podcasts that only release material for a week (This American Life), but again, this app for Mac has been so dodgy in the past that I don’t use it as my primary reservoir for podcasts.

I’ve given the app 3 stars because I want to like it. I love it on my iPad and it kills me that the Mac version is so buggy and horrible. Thankfully, iCloud sync makes it possible for me to get back up and running relatively quickly. It remains to be seen if this App is really ready for general release, but I have my fingers crossed.

JPeterman210
,09/18/2015

Doesn’t sync media files

If your primary reason for using Downcast is it’s purported ability to sync between OS X and iOS, then you may be disappointed. Downcast will sync your podcast subscriptions and maybe some other nice things like what you’ve listened to and where you are in an episode. However, Downcast will not sync the media files themselves. This means the actually media file for an episode must be pulled down from the internet on each device. This can be a problem for podcasts like This American Life where only the current week’s episode is free. So for example, if you have a bunch of no-longer-free TAL episodes on your laptop that are not on your iPhone they will not sync to your iPhone using this software. In this example, it would be important for both the laptop and the iPhone to remain on and running Downcast in order to properly capture and download all the episodes of TAL as they go through their free week. For me this was a game changer to what I thought would be a very nice OS X application that would let me download and track and create playlists on my laptop that would then sync to my phone for listening. It only sort-of works for this in my case.

JPeterman210
,09/18/2015

Doesn’t sync media files

If your primary reason for using Downcast is it’s purported ability to sync between OS X and iOS, then you may be disappointed. Downcast will sync your podcast subscriptions and maybe some other nice things like what you’ve listened to and where you are in an episode. However, Downcast will not sync the media files themselves. This means the actually media file for an episode must be pulled down from the internet on each device. This can be a problem for podcasts like This American Life where only the current week’s episode is free. So for example, if you have a bunch of no-longer-free TAL episodes on your laptop that are not on your iPhone they will not sync to your iPhone using this software. In this example, it would be important for both the laptop and the iPhone to remain on and running Downcast in order to properly capture and download all the episodes of TAL as they go through their free week. For me this was a game changer to what I thought would be a very nice OS X application that would let me download and track and create playlists on my laptop that would then sync to my phone for listening. It only sort-of works for this in my case.

Cubmaster Chris
,09/10/2013

It's a good start...

Downcast is a great companion to the iOS application. The iCloud syncing works fairly well, but could refresh itself a little faster.. If I have the desktop app open, and am walking in from my car (where I was listening to Downcast), I would like to see it refresh the desktop app by the time I sit down 5 to 10 minutes later.

My two biggest complaints are the desktop app occasionally freezes (about once a day), and it downloads old episodes of certain podcasts. These two complaints only cost to the software one star because when I force quit the application, it tries to pick up exactly where I left off; the old episodes being downloaded are the same every time, which leads me to believe there might be something in the RSS feed causing these downloads.

The only thing I would like to see is the ability to have a "mini player" window like iTunes. For something I have playing a majority of the day, it takes up a large chunk of my desktop space.

Cubmaster Chris
,09/10/2013

It's a good start...

Downcast is a great companion to the iOS application. The iCloud syncing works fairly well, but could refresh itself a little faster.. If I have the desktop app open, and am walking in from my car (where I was listening to Downcast), I would like to see it refresh the desktop app by the time I sit down 5 to 10 minutes later.

My two biggest complaints are the desktop app occasionally freezes (about once a day), and it downloads old episodes of certain podcasts. These two complaints only cost to the software one star because when I force quit the application, it tries to pick up exactly where I left off; the old episodes being downloaded are the same every time, which leads me to believe there might be something in the RSS feed causing these downloads.

The only thing I would like to see is the ability to have a "mini player" window like iTunes. For something I have playing a majority of the day, it takes up a large chunk of my desktop space.